Change your life, one brushstroke at a time!

Awareness Spa mini retreats

03/28/2013

Do you have a dream? Are you used to dreaming, planning, having goals? For a Westerner this comes naturally. I'm tempted to generalise and say that for us Eastern Europeans, having dreams is not common at all .. but I might be wrong. It could very well be that my family was different ... and the families of my friends were different and everybody else did have dreams ... gave themselves permission to just imagine how would life be when ....and if .....

When you live in a society where things are pretty much planned for you by the Big Brother state, a status that has to be accepted by families, so is sort of written in stone, why dream?

Dreaming means daring to be different ... getting out of the marching line ... taking the road less travelled ... getting out of the comfort zone no matter how uncomfortable that "comfort zone" is.....taking risks......

For three years until the late spring of 2011 I was working in a sort of safe (by Romanian standards) but soul destroying job in London - when I decided to follow my inner voice, to rescue my soul and sanity, to spread my wings and shake the layers of negativity that were dragging me down like very, very heavy chains.

It was the moment when I dared to dream! Yes, I dared to believe that there is a way to "Escape from the cubicle nation". This is actually the title of a book I'm reading now, by Pamela Slim and I find myself saying "yes, yes, yes I know exactly how it feels, I know, I know .. I've been there".

One of my dreams was to exhibit and to sell my paintings .... guess what ... I'm doing this now, an untrained artist who graduated as an engineer. Isn't it amazing?

Another dream was to organise retreats .... and to create circles of women who support each other, sharing experiences, inspiring others and being inspired ......... I also dreamed about giving talks about art, about empowering women .... And guess what again ... it's happening! Slowly, slowly but surely!

Slowly, slowly .... when you dare to dream, when you start to express your dreams in writing, through paints, or through a vision board magic happens .... it's as if you are planting some seeds in the ground. Of course if you do not take care of the seeds nothing will happen, but if you tend to their needs, if you nurture them, they will start to show signs of life, of growth ... one millimetre on top of another millimetre at a time.

I'm at the very beginning .... but boy I'm glad I dared to dream....... I'm happy I'm still dreaming ... that I am dreaming together with many other soul sisters from all around the world. Is it easy! Oh no, no, no but I feel alive and full of energy and ready to chase my dreams - day in and day out.

Today I dreamed again with my partners and friends Anna and Elke. Actually we continued our dreaming session started in August last year .. when we were trying to put together a plan for our "Awareness Spa Mini Retreats", offering women in East Sussex a chance to relax, rejuvenate, reinvent themselves through meditation, art, massage, raw food, raw chocolate, spiritual coaching and so much more. We've already organised four events ... things are happening .... and all because we dared to dream ... months and months ago ...... so today it was a time to celebrate ... and also a time to DREAM BIG ... with confidence, with enthusiasm, with passion!

03/21/2013

"To be beautiful means to be yourself.
You don't need to be accepted by others.
You need to accept yourself" - Thich Nhat Hanh

We are busy. Very busy! Running around, eating while we watch TV, reading newspapers while we walk, magazines while we rush through airports, ... starting another diet just because another "celebrity" tells us how to loose weight without much struggle, buying yet another super cream aimed to make our faces look like a 16 year old one and so on ... We are constantly looking at how other people look, what they have, where they go .... getting angry, frustrated, disillusioned, tired and confused.

Who are we after all? When was the last time that we had the time to really,really talk to our inner self?

For me, without any shadow of a doubt, accepting who we are, how we are now, is one of the most important gifts we can give ourselves. Once we take the time to make friends with our body, mind and soul .. we are beautiful.

What is the first step? Slowing down ...slowing down through meditation, or art, or cooking, or trying a new activity, or talking to somebody we trust ...or cooking with friends ...

This is what I did a few days ago .. baked German bread with two lovely friends ...... it was a morning of laughter, relaxation, sharing stories, learning more about each other .

Three hours later, we all had 1/3 of a bread in our bag, memories of a great morning, more interesting ideas to put into practice and the promise of another morning together ... this time ... to create a vision board made of collages for our joint wellbeing event. You can learn more about us here at www.awarenessspa.co.uk I really look forward to next Thursday!

Just in case you too would like to have a go at baking the bread, here is the recipe. It is soooo easy and sooooo delicious ......

Add all grains in a plastic container. In a saucepan add the buttermilk, molasses, salt and heat it up for 5 minutes, stirring continuously. What's next? Add the liquid in the grain combination and stir it until it looks like a thick paste......cover it up, allowing it to rest for 20 minutes. In the meantime, lightly butter the bread tin, preheat the oven to 150 degrees Celsius. Add the paste in the bread tin, and place it in the oven ... together with a tray of water. (this will preserve the moisture in the bread)

Next, prepare your coffee, grab your favourite novel, put your feet up and relax for the next three hours. Or .... call a friend ... have a lovely chat ... or paint .........

03/18/2013

Eight months ago, at the end of a grey summer, three women gathered around a wooden table ... and started to dream ... dream about organising mini retreats in Eastbourne......dream about putting together their skills and passions and creating a "product" aiming to help women to relax, rejuvenate, reinvent themselves through meditation, art, healthy food, massage and much more.

One could say that our planting season was in August 2012 ... and here we are in March having already organised three events and one pilot event. Having a dream is important, having like minded people around you is inspiring!

And now ... the story in images! We look forward to seeing you in April!

Your team Elke, Corina, Anna

We are really passionate about our activities

It's all about laughter!

It's about the power of sisterhood!

It's about experimentation!

It's about sharing ..

It's about ME time!

It's all about a time to relax and let go!

To find out more about us and book your place for the April event, please click here

02/17/2013

"I really enjoyed the day and meeting some lovely people .... The meditation was both relaxing and stimulating. I also liked the massage. The art session was very therapeutic and expressive of my feelings. I now have the finished piece on the wall. It was also fun which is one way of letting go of tensions. ...... I have recommended the course to some friends and hope to attend another one"-Elena from East Sussex

A part of me just wants to say ... this is it my darlings, our mini retreat participant said it all......what she experienced, how she felt, the impact on her life.

The "Awareness Spa mini retreats" take place once a month, usually the second Thursday of the month, from 9.30 am until 3 pm.

So, if you want to enhance your sense of wellbeing through meditation, art therapy, massage, if you would like to increase your confidence, explore raw/living food, experience group spiritual coaching ....and much more, join our monthly mini retreats.

The places are limited and we warmly recommend you to book early in order to avoid disappointment.

Your investment for this exclusive experience is £ 50 , and we ask for £25 non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Please note that there is a special discounted price for February, March, April ofonly £30.

Payment: please make your cheques payable to Elke Pollard and send it to her at the address mentioned above.

Do like us on facebook and email us at awarenessspa@yahoo.co.uk for more information.

We look forward to welcoming you on March 11th, when we are going to explore the .... Spring Rebirth ..... at 9.30. It is time for some ME time for you my darlings!

See you!

About us:

1. Elke Pollard - Born in Germany during the 1960's, Elke was aways sure life has to be lived from the inside out. She lived in the USA for 16 years where she met her husband and gave birth to 4 of their 6 children. Moving to England 17 years ago, life became overwhelming when she was diagnosed with colitis. Being a fighter her motto is always "At least I will finish the race". A turning point came when she realised life wasn't a set of problems to be solved but given as a gift.

With this new insight, 5 years ago, she started a career as a massage therapist. Helping people out of pain and helping them maintain a healthy mind and body became her foremost interest. Living a holistic life in harmony with mind and body, other people and the environment is now her greatest joy and passion.

2. Anna Hoffmann - I am a mere blip in creation and follow my calling as closely as possible. I’m delighting in the studies of subtle energy and healing in relation to matter and spend most of my free time chasing ideas and thoughts which will hopefully lead me a little bit closer to truth.

Ever since I can remember have my sensory perceptions been a little bit more fine-tuned giving me a different view of my surroundings. More recently I have delved a bit deeper into the realms of nutrition, psychology, counselling and Tui Na (acupressure) massage. I combine the physical with the energetic world which gives me a unique outlook on life.

My dreams and ideas are funded by my main job as a Healthcare Assistant, which gives me the splendid opportunity of gaining clinical knowledge together with my growth as a person. As much as I am on a journey myself, I aim to help others on their own journey based on my own knowledge and experience.

3. Corina Stupu Thomas - I grew up under the communist regime of my beautiful Romania ……and finally left the country in 2006. Millions of people in this world have suffered. Like many of them, to survive, I had to re-invent myself, to start again, and again, and again. In this journey I have learned important lessons, that life is what you make of it. And that what you make of it can be enhanced if you listen to your intuition, if you really connect with people, if you are not afraid to experiment, if you are willing to learn, if you embrace and work alongside change.

01/24/2013

"I attended the January workshop and have had such a boost to my system! I experienced new therapies like art printing, the sound therapy, acupressure and ate delicious foods that I have never tried before. It has really lifted my spirits and awakened a creativity within me. It's an inspiring experience with 3 very inspiring therapists. I don't know any other day out that has left me feeling so up-beat and wanting to know more" - Mel from East Sussex

A part of me just wants to say ... this is it my darlings, our mini retreat participant said it all......what she experienced, how she felt, the impact on her life.

The "Awareness Spa Mini Retreats" take place once a month, usually the second Thursday of the month, from 9.30 until 3pm.

So, if you want to enhance your sense of wellbeing through meditation, art therapy, ,massage, if you would like to increase your confidence, explore raw/living food ....and much more, join our monthly mini retreats.

The places are limited and we warmly recommend you to book early in order to avoid disappointment. Your investment for this exclusive experience is £ 50 , and we ask for £25 non-refundable deposit to secure your place. Please note that there is a special discounted price for February, March, April of only £30.

Payment: please make the cheques payable to Elke Pollard and send it to the address mentioned above.